The following account on foods and feeding is divided “family-wise” into studies on the Talitridae, Corophiidae, and Caprellidae. Talitrids are mainly herbivorous, feeding on seaweeds and other plant matter. High-intertidal species on sand beaches live in temporary, loosely fashioned burrows in the sand, and consume algae washed ashore by waves. Corophiids inhabit burrows on sand/mudflats and generally deposit-feed. Caprellids feed by browsing, filter-feeding, predation, scavenging, and scraping.

Talidrids

Studies on talitrids are considered here, while ones on COROPHIIDS and CAPRELLIDS are dealt with elsewhere.

Research study 0

A researcher at the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbarba compares growth in male and female talitrids Orchestia traskiana from the standpoint of increase in number of segments in the flagellum of the 2nd antenna over time. If this were found to be consistent for both sexes, it would provide a means to assess moult status in field populations from one-time collections, something not yet able to be done. Results from both laboratory and field caging experiments confirm that number of podomeres can be used to assess moult status in this species and, moreover, that their frequency of addition differs between males and females (see graph). At emergence from the brood pouch all individuals have 3 podomeres in their 2nd antennae (see graph). Prior to sexual differentiation at about 12 podomeres, an individual has added one podomere per moult, but this decreases on subsequent moults to less than one, with females adding significantly fewer podomeres per moult than males thereafter. Note that, as expected, moulting frequency decreases in both sexes with increasing age. Page 1979 Crustaceana 37 (3): 247.

NOTE these are termed podomeres, a word referring generally to a segment in any limb of a crustacean (see drawing on Right). In the flagellar portions of the antennae, these segments are undifferentiated and are referred to as podomere 1, podomere 2, and so on

Research study 1

Laboratory studies on feeding preferences of 2 supralittoral species Traskorchestia traskiana and Megalorchestia californiana at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, British Columbia disclose that both significantly prefer wrack seaweeds over fresh seaweeds (see histograms). Wrack is characterised by toughness, reduced nitrogen content, and high mineral content, and could reasonably be thought to have reduced palatability in comparison with fresh seaweed. However, drying and decaying seaweeds are colonised by bacteria and fungi that may themselves be more digestible than fresh seaweed tissue. Moreover, wrack has greatly reduced water content in comparison with fresh tissue; hence, has several times more organic content per “bite” than fresh seaweed. It is also possible that defensive secondary metabolites in the seaweeds degrade during drying, as is known for terrestrial plants so, overall, the amphipods may indeed be getting a superior diet when consuming wrack. Pennings et al. 2000 Can J Zool 78: 1918.

NOTE seaweeds cast up on the shore by waves and aged; often dried to crispy or leathery texture by the sun

NOTE chemicals in a plant that play no known role in the plant’s metabolism; rather, are thought to be involved as deterrents against consumers. Secondary metabolites are absent in green seaweeds and, in brown and red seaweeds, are present mainly as phenolics and in various forms of terpenes, respectively

Photographs of consumption of drift algae by west-coast beachhoppers Megalorchestia spp.: Photograph on Left courtesy Laura Richards, DFO, British Columbia.